A 2000-watt generator is a portable power source that you can take with you wherever you go, be it camping, tailgating, remote cabin, or even in your RV. With the availability of a 2000-watt inverter generator, the generator type has become even more famous considering its reliability, portability, and fuel efficiency compared to the traditional counterparts.
2000-watts doesn’t seem like much of energy, and that brings us to the big question: does the generator has enough power to run everything you have? Well, that depends on what you have and their wattage. There is no single answer to it. It all depends on how you plan to use it.
Since this is a common question confusing lots of homeowners, RViers, campers, and those with a small home or remote project, I’ve decided to figure out how to help you. Here I will explain in simple terms how to know the right appliance to connect to your 2000-watt generator. I will also take a look at some scenarios where you can use the 2000-watt generator comfortably.
Understanding Generator Wattage: Running watts and starting watts
Before we can get into the heated terms, I need to get you acquitted with starting and running watts. Generators come with sure rated/running wattage and surge/starting wattage. The two have only one thing in common; there are both watts of power. What’s the difference?
Each time you power on an appliance, mainly the motor-driven or high-power units like an AC, it requires a power boost to get them started. The amount of power needed to have the load lighted is called the starting watts. Once the appliance is started, it slowly reduces the power draw as it gets fully on. When the device is operating normally, it’s using the running watts. For instance, when you start your cooling fan, it needs the starting watts to power up the motor, and when it’s fully started, it can now utilize the uniformly supplied power.
Now, what exactly does that mean for your 2000-watt generator? The starting power is the amount of energy the generator can give over a split second (at most 5-seconds) as extra power needed to start an appliance. Some of the motor-driven devices requiring starting power are refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers, and lawn equipment.
The running power, on the other hand, is the power provided continually for keeping the appliance running. That’s why you must compare the running and starting watts of the generator before connecting your appliances or electronics.
The sum of wattage of all the appliances that you need to connect to the generator plus the starting wattage required by the motor-driven devices should be less than the generator surge wattage. The best way to utilize your generator is to plug-in the motor-driven loads first. Once the generator settles, you can connect other appliances requiring only the running wattage.
What Can You Run On a 2000-watt Generator Run?
Now we get to our main topic, things you can run on a 2000-watt generator. As you already know, each appliance has its power demand in watts. Whichever device you have in your home, RV, or worksite, it must have a power rating on it. Most of these power appliances have the wattage rating, but others will have the amperage and voltage rating. In this case, you need to calculate the wattage by multiplying the amps * voltage to get = watts.
To determine the appliances you can run on your 2000-watt generator, you have to sum up the individual voltage to get the total demand. And as I said before, the total wattage must be less than the surge wattage of the generator. Another thing, it’s advisable to use at most 70% of the generator rated power as going beyond that strains the machine leading to early wear and tear.
As I noted above, many homes, gardens, or worksite appliances will have a stated starting and running watts. However, in general reference for you, I’ve compiles a list of the most common and essential devices you can run with a 2000-watt generator.
Kitchen Appliances
A 2000-watt generator can run most of the kitchen appliances, but not all and not at once, especially the motor-driven types. Here are some of these tools:
A Freezer – 600 watts
A Refrigerator – 750 watts
A Microwave – 1000 watts
A Coffee maker – 1000 watts
A Toaster – 1200 watts
Recreation: Communication and Entertainment Devices
Entertainment and communication is a part of the recreation space; we keep ourselves to take away all the stress we might have and keep up with the current happens. You’ll be happy to hear you can run a few of your entertainment devices with a 2000-watt generator. Here is a list:
A Stereo – 300 watts
A Computer – 150 watts
A Television – 250 watts
Heating/Cooling Devices
I never want ever to try bathing with cold water! Do you? I don’t think so! With a 2000-watt generator, you will be surprised to hear that you can heat your water and keep a small space warm or cold. Here are two things you can be sure of using with a 2000-watt generator:
A Ceiling fan – 140 watts
A Portable electric heater – 1200 watts
Prioritizing
One trick that helps people work with a 2000-watt generator fruitfully is prioritizing. What do I mean here? Well, you need to run certain appliances and rest the others. Here the best thing is to think it like you’re running the most crucial at that time and resting the least useful.
When the power goes abruptly, you will want to start by getting the lights up. Yes, that might not take much of the power, but you will still need to turn off some areas that aren’t used at the time. Next, you will have to select the appliances that you will be using as you wait for the power to get back.
If you’re camping, RVing, or tailgating, well, you’ll need to follow a program to shut down some items to feed high-power appliances.
Furthermore, for those appliances with starting watts like a mini-fridge, you can begin to them first, and once they stabilize, you can connect the other light devices like the lights.
Here is a tip for you:
When using a traditional 2000-watt generator, you might want to search for the best protection for the voltage spikes and harmonic distortion. It can be quite dangerous, especially if you’re running your generator at its maximum. The best solution here is to use a voltage spike protector or get the best 2000-watt inverter generator here. An inverter generator is designed to protect your devices and appliances from voltage spikes and total harmonic distortion. And the best part is, it works with sensitive electronics directly.
Final Verdict
The best 2000-watt generator is an extremely versatile, reliable, and portable power supply accessible with a budgeting power. Yes, it can be a perfect solution to your camping power needs, but you can quickly get to its limit when using it on your RV or home when there is a power outage. At the time, you might be forced to push it to its maximum. That’s is why I recommend you always check your wattage requirement to avoid overloading the generator.
